Afghanistan Air Force

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their involvement in the development of an Afghan air force; and how many personnel are undergoing training.

Lord Astor of Hever: The NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan provides the focus for the international community efforts to develop the Afghan National Security Forces. This includes the US-led, international Combined Air Power Transition Force which is working to build a 3,300 member, 48 aircraft Afghan National Army Air Force as part of a long-term effort to provide a self-sufficient air force. The United Kingdom's current contribution to this work is 129 personnel.

Air Quality

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the levels of air quality in United Kingdom cities compare with those in other capital cities in the European Union; and whether they forecast having to pay fines to the European Commission in the next two years for not meeting European Union targets.

Lord Henley: For nitrogen dioxide (NO2) the annual average, concentrations for 2008 in London were broadly comparable with those in Paris, Rome, Madrid and Athens. For particulate matter (PM10), UK concentrations are similar to those in Germany, but markedly lower than many other countries including Spain, Netherlands, Portugal and Poland. These comparisons are made using data from the European Environment Agency.
	On the prospect of fines for not meeting EU air quality targets, government policy is to work to avoid this possibility. The Government are committed to working towards full compliance with European air quality limits.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the interval between the ending of section 4 support and the start of normal benefits for asylum applicants granted leave to remain; and what steps they will take to reduce that interval.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Section 4 support is only eligible to failed asylum seekers whose asylum application has been rejected and who have exhausted all appeal rights. It is not routine for failed asylum seekers to receive access to benefits. However, where a person or family on support is given permission to stay in the UK, the UK Border Agency works closely with local government to ensure that the impact on both the family and on the wider community is minimised.
	The standard grace period between a grant of leave and cessation of Section 4 support is 28 calendar days. During this grace period, it is the individual's responsibility to take up work and support themselves and any dependants. They will also be entitled to apply to the Department for Work and Pensions for mainstream benefits.

Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England and the Monetary Policy Committee will both be chaired by the Governor of the Bank.

Lord Sassoon: As set out in Statements to both Houses on 17 June, the Governor of the Bank of England will chair the Bank of England's new Financial Policy Committee. The Governor will continue to chair the Monetary Policy Committee established under the Bank of England Act 1998.

Banking: Cheques

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are giving to banks on the plan of the Payments Council to abolish cheques.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have stated that there must be suitable alternatives in place for all users of cheques before the system can be phased out. This is particularly important for those who are dependent on cheques-like the elderly, small businesses and charities.
	The Payments Council has set a target date for closing the cheque clearing system in 2018. It will not take a final decision until 2016. The final decision will depend on the availability of suitable alternatives. In the period up until then, it will be necessary for the banks to implement a strategy to develop, and make users aware of, alternative payment methods, and to help them to switch to the alternatives. The Payments Council will report on this and the Government are monitoring progress.

Banks: First Trust Bank

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the interests of customers, staff and pensioners will be protected in the event of any sale of the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland; if so, who will be responsible for doing so; and how.

Lord Sassoon: In the event of a sale of First Trust Bank, the interest of its customers would continue to be protected by the Financial Services Authority, in line with its statutory consumer protection objective.
	Staff and pensioners involved in any sale of a company possess certain legal protections, for example under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations and through the Pensions Regulator.

Belize

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the plans for the military base in Belize; and whether Kenya is being considered as an alternative.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence is facing significant financial pressures and we must, therefore, focus our resources on our key areas. All activities, including our military basing overseas, will be reviewed as part of the ongoing Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Benefits

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will change the criteria for housing single people dependant on alcohol or drugs so that they are paid no more non-housing benefits than the appropriate income support level without premiums.

Lord Freud: A person who is dependent on drugs or alcohol receives out-of- work benefits on the same basis as any other person, namely by meeting the eligibility criteria for those benefits. A person meeting those eligibility criteria will not receive more or less income on the basis of being dependent-or not dependent-on drugs or alcohol. We have no plans to change that position.
	Addiction is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty. We will bring forward proposals to support drug and alcohol misusers whilst they recover from their addiction and tackle their barriers to work.

Civil Litigation

Lord Bach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation in this session to implement the recommendations of the Review of Civil Litigation Costs by Lord Justice Jackson.

Lord McNally: The Government are very grateful to Lord Justice Jackson for his comprehensive report which makes a broad range of significant and positive recommendations for reducing costs in the civil justice system in England and Wales. We are carefully assessing Sir Rupert's main proposals and how they could be taken forward as a matter of urgency.

Crime: DNA Database

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of crimes solved by the use of DNA techniques.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Annexe A shows for each year from April 1995 when the National DNA Database (NDNAD) was set up to March 2009, for police forces in England and Wales:
	the number of crimes detected for which a DNA match was available;
	additional detections, where an offender admits further offences following a detection for which a DNA match was available; andthe total of these two types of detections (labelled "DNA-related").
	The figures do not include crimes detected as a result of one-off speculative searches of the NDNAD or from comparing DNA profiles in a forensic laboratory, procedures which are used mainly in the investigation of serious crimes such as murder and rape. The figures provided in the attached table therefore underrepresent the overall contribution of DNA matches to the detection of serious crimes such as murder and rape. It is important to note though that crimes are solved through integrated criminal investigation, not through DNA alone.
	The source of the figures provided is the forensic performance data, which are collected by the Home Office from police forces. The figures for 2009-10 are not yet available.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the code of practice for official statistics.
	
		
			 Number of detections in which a DNA match was available or played a part, England and Wales, 1995-2009 
			 Year Detections of crimes in which a DNA match was available ("DNA detections") Additional detections arising from DNA match Total DNA-related detections 
			 1995-96 Not available Not available Not available 
			 1996-97 Not available Not available Not available 
			 1997-98 Not available Not available Not available 
			 1998-99 6,151 Not available 6,151 
			 1999-00 8,612 Not available 8,612 
			 2000-01 14,785 Not available 14,785 
			 2001-02 15,894 6,509 22,403 
			 2002-03 21,098 12,717 33,815 
			 2003-04 20,489 15,899 36,388 
			 2004-05 19,873 15,732 35,605 
			 2005-06 20,349 19,960 40,309 
			 2006-07 19,949 21,199 41,148 
			 2007-08 17,614 15,420 33,034 
			 2008-09 17,607 14,602 32,209 
			 Total April 1995-March 2009 182,421 122,038 304,459 
		
	
	Footnotes:
	1 A "DNA detection" means that the crime was cleared up and a DNA match was available.
	2. Additional detections arising from the DNA match occur when, for example, a suspect, on being presented with evidence linking him to one offence, confesses to other offences. They arise from a DNA match; and are therefore detections where a DNA match played a part in solving the crime.
	3. Total DNA-related detections means DNA detections + Additional detections arising from the DNA match..

Crime: Drink-Driving

Viscount Simon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many breath tests were conducted by the police in Great Britain in each year since 2000.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The requested data for England and Wales are published in table 4.01 of the annual HomeOffice Statistical Bulletin: Police Powers and Procedures which can be found in the Library of the House.
	A link to the bulletin and the table itself are provided for the noble Lord's convenience.
	Figures for Scotland are a matter for the devolved Administration.
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0610.pdf
	
		
			 Table 4.01 Number of screening breath tests by outcome, 1999 to 2008 
			 Numbers (thousands) and percentages 
			 Numbers (thousands) and percentages  England and Wales 
			 Outcome 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Total number of tests1 764.5 714.8 623.9 570.2 534.3 578.0 607.4 601.7 599.8 711.7 
			 Number positive or refused2 94.4 94.6 99.5 103.5 106.3 103.0 104.3 103.7 97.6 91.7 
			 % Positive or refused 12 13 16 18 20 18 17 17 16 13 
		
	
	1 Many forces have implemented a new digital breath test system which has affected some forces as it now means they are able to provide a more accurate representation of "total test" figures than previous paper-based systems.
	2 Figures for positive/refused contain some data on prosecutions for failing a breath test where shortfalls were found in the data supplied to the Home Office. The police forces affected are: Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, Essex, Norfolk, Northumbria, South Wales and Staffordshire. Similar adjustments were also made to various forces data between 1998 and 2007.

Crime: Drink-Driving

Viscount Simon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) males, and (b) females, in each parliamentary constituency have been (1) prosecuted, (2) found guilty, and (3) sentenced to immediate custody for drink-driving in each year since 2005.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average (a) fine, and (b) custodial sentence, for conviction for drink-driving offences which resulted in death in the past 10 years.

Lord McNally: The available information is provided in the accompanying tables.
	Data held by the Ministry of Justice on the Courts Proceeding Database do not correspond to parliamentary constituency, data by police force area have been supplied in lieu.
	
		
			 Average custodial sentence length (ACSL) (months)(1) and average fine imposed for the offence of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs(2), 1998-2008 
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Average fine (£'s) * : : * : : : * : * : 
			 Number of fines 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 
			 Average custodial sentence length 37.1 41.7 38.3 43.4 40.9 44.0 43.4 42.4 40.8 39.2 46.6 
			 Number of determinate custodial sentences 58 45 49 48 61 58 59 62 63 64 45 
			 Number of indeterminate custodial sentences(3) : : : : : : : 0 1 1 0 
		
	
	: - Not applicable
	* - Figure suppressed as number too small to give meaningful average
	(1) ACSL excludes life/indeterminate sentences
	(2) Road Traffic Act 1988 added by Road Traffic Act 1991 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003
	(3) Maximum sentence for this offence is a 14 year determinate sentence an indeterminate sentence for public protection has been available since 2005
	Source: Justice Statistics - Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice
	Ref: PQ(JSAS) HL624 HL625 (22/06/2010)
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
	Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.
	Following the introduction of the LIBRA case management system defendants at magistrates' courts can be recorded as "sex not stated" and have therefore been excluded from these data.
	
		
			 Number of offenders prosecuted by criminal justice area and sex for offences of drink driving(1) 2005-08 
			 Males 
			 Police force area 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,167 1,981 2,017 1,772 
			 Bedfordshire 950 972 883 747 
			 Cambridgeshire 996 1,050 1,043 917 
			 Cheshire 1,372 1,456 1,449 1,245 
			 City of London 165 149 181 115 
			 Cleveland 761 806 783 808 
			 Cumbria 659 686 680 565 
			 Derbyshire 1,345 1,264 1,191 969 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,080 1,960 1,908 1,794 
			 Dorset 986 957 1,010 874 
			 Durham 910 790 796 694 
			 Essex 2,131 2,229 2,084 1,918 
			 Gloucestershire 711 710 601 613 
			 Greater Manchester 3,786 3,749 3,650 3,011 
			 Hampshire 2,825 2,426 2,462 2,245 
			 Hertfordshire 1,554 1,511 1,503 1,307 
			 Humberside 1,315 1,247 842 477 
			 Kent 2,419 2,332 2,329 2,025 
			 Lancashire 2,234 2,274 2,191 1,965 
			 Leicestershire 1,382 1,275 1,290 1,099 
			 Lincolnshire 991 1,051 1,051 997 
			 Merseyside 2,434 2,219 1,998 1,529 
			 Metropolitan Police 11,650 11,579 10,738 9,717 
			 Norfolk 1,040 1,137 1,008 861 
			 North Yorkshire 1,033 998 946 886 
			 Northamptonshire 737 868 748 790 
			 Northumbria 2,127 2,064 1,984 1,835 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,369 1,403 1,256 1,255 
			 South Yorkshire 1,906 1,667 1,690 1,609 
			 Staffordshire 1,411 1,354 1,369 1,251 
			 Suffolk 914 979 866 711 
			 Surrey 1,231 1,170 1,204 1,074 
			 Sussex 1,933 2,023 1,985 1,794 
			 Thames Valley 2,987 2,941 2,852 2,406 
			 Warwickshire 734 725 808 650 
			 West Mercia 1,672 1,682 1,591 1,424 
			 West Midlands 4,830 4,739 4,651 3,877 
			 West Yorkshire 3,366 3,134 2,936 2,609 
			 Wiltshire 840 809 639 546 
			 Dyfed-Powys 777 762 748 646 
			 Gwent 901 986 894 787 
			 North Wales 1,097 1,112 1,049 890 
			 South Wales 2,303 2,227 2,062 1,494 
			 Females 
			 Avon and Somerset 356 330 360 301 
			 Bedfordshire 92 133 125 96 
			 Cambridgeshire 118 134 142 139 
			 Cheshire 233 285 282 287 
			 City of London 12 16 13 13 
			 Cleveland 116 134 116 135 
			 Cumbria 130 116 111 137 
			 Derbyshire 188 204 169 184 
			 Devon and Cornwall 326 363 326 340 
			 Dorset 158 164 201 174 
			 Durham 163 144 162 141 
			 Essex 340 352 363 385 
			 Gloucestershire 120 124 128 141 
			 Greater Manchester 541 501 552 568 
			 Hampshire 462 393 411 396 
			 Hertfordshire 256 277 284 264 
			 Humberside 139 166 120 62 
			 Kent 317 312 349 362 
			 Lancashire 344 414 411 398 
			 Leicestershire 169 158 176 137 
			 Lincolnshire 150 133 137 138 
			 Merseyside 327 343 387 349 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,253 1,343 1,340 1,338 
			 Norfolk 153 149 165 164 
			 North Yorkshire 171 163 182 166 
			 Northamptonshire 120 104 101 130 
			 Northumbria 300 337 373 355 
			 Nottinghamshire 180 217 214 211 
			 South Yorkshire 208 215 229 238 
			 Staffordshire 220 208 221 253 
			 Suffolk 128 138 146 146 
			 Surrey 227 211 256 247 
			 Sussex 311 337 372 303 
			 Thames Valley 425 438 447 432 
			 Warwickshire 103 138 137 134 
			 West Mercia 146 215 188 182 
			 West Midlands 524 564 557 490 
			 West Yorkshire 354 333 411 401 
			 Wiltshire 125 129 129 116 
			 Dyfed-Powys 121 117 124 122 
			 Gwent 180 161 153 177 
			 North Wales 166 168 176 171 
			 South Wales 359 349 372 307 
		
	
	(1) Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit
	Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle
	Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test
	Failing to allow specimen of blood to be subjected to laboratory test
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)-drink
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)-drugs
	Being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment)-drink
	Being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment)-drugs
	A small proportion of cases in 2008 (less than 1%) were returned to the ministry as "sex not stated"; these records have not been included in the response and as such may be responsible for some of the year-on-year trend from 2007 to 2008.
	Source: Justice Statistics - Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice
	Ref: PQ(JSAS) HL624 HL625 (22/06/2010)
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system
	These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
	Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.
	Data only include those prosecuted and sentenced for drink driving and exclude those prosecuted and sentenced for causing death by driving under the Road Traffic Act 1988 added by Road Traffic Act 1991 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003
	Following the introduction of the LIBRA case management system defendants at magistrates' courts can be recorded as "sex not stated" and have therefore been excluded from these data
	
		
			 Number of offenders convicted by criminal justice area and sex for offences of drink driving(1), 2005-08 
			 Males 
			 Police force area 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,041 1,857 1,902 1,676 
			 Bedfordshire 881 929 841 707 
			 Cambridgeshire 970 1,022 1,011 882 
			 Cheshire 1,310 1,389 1,389 1,209 
			 City of London 154 143 165 105 
			 Cleveland 723 776 753 787 
			 Cumbria 627 656 663 545 
			 Derbyshire 1,290 1,208 1,150 936 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,987 1,851 1,829 1,720 
			 Dorset 942 915 922 816 
			 Durham 880 759 774 673 
			 Essex 2,026 2,128 2,002 1,836 
			 Gloucestershire 651 655 563 596 
			 Greater Manchester 3,599 3,592 3,504 2,911 
			 Hampshire 2,659 2,299 2,372 2,141 
			 Hertfordshire 1,448 1,429 1,427 1,244 
			 Humberside 1,264 1,208 800 434 
			 Kent 2,314 2,238 2,235 1,935 
			 Lancashire 2,107 2,106 2,054 1,873 
			 Leicestershire 1,300 1,209 1,217 1,032 
			 Lincolnshire 930 1,008 1,007 950 
			 Merseyside 2,266 2,095 1,894 1,475 
			 Metropolitan Police 10,599 10,762 10,043 9,204 
			 Norfolk 996 1,093 961 826 
			 North Yorkshire 976 963 913 862 
			 Northamptonshire 655 823 711 755 
			 Northumbria 1,984 1,940 1,860 1,752 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,283 1,319 1,198 1,199 
			 South Yorkshire 1,794 1,581 1,619 1,522 
			 Staffordshire 1,303 1,252 1,306 1,206 
			 Suffolk 874 932 824 687 
			 Surrey 1,161 1,110 1,142 1,027 
			 Sussex 1,860 1,942 1,927 1,732 
			 Thames Valley 2,809 2,744 2,674 2,313 
			 Warwickshire 705 694 780 623 
			 West Mercia 1,599 1,609 1,520 1,362 
			 West Midlands 4,577 4,486 4,452 3,706 
			 West Yorkshire 3,160 2,948 2,738 2,440 
			 Wiltshire 796 775 615 519 
			 Dyfed-Powys 724 715 698 617 
			 Gwent 828 918 846 737 
			 North Wales 1,048 1,064 1,020 852 
			 South Wales 2,144 2,099 1,974 1,441 
			 Avon and Somerset 337 313 339 286 
			 Bedfordshire 87 131 121 96 
			 Cambridgeshire 116 128 138 138 
			 Cheshire 229 265 269 277 
			 City of London 11 15 12 13 
			 Cleveland 113 131 111 128 
			 Cumbria 122 112 109 136 
			 Derbyshire 178 186 163 176 
			 Devon and Cornwall 312 348 310 323 
			 Dorset 150 154 184 159 
			 Durham 154 140 158 134 
			 Essex 327 342 350 371 
			 Gloucestershire 111 114 122 136 
			 Greater Manchester 530 479 537 550 
			 Hampshire 440 375 392 381 
			 Hertfordshire 237 261 276 250 
			 Humberside 132 159 114 60 
			 Kent 297 304 333 342 
			 Lancashire 325 395 382 384 
			 Leicestershire 158 142 166 134 
			 Lincolnshire 142 124 127 135 
			 Merseyside 306 317 373 335 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,159 1,257 1,265 1,277 
			 Norfolk 145 147 157 159 
			 North Yorkshire 166 158 180 162 
			 Northamptonshire 109 96 96 123 
			 Northumbria 280 320 352 343 
			 Nottinghamshire 170 208 199 202 
			 South Yorkshire 189 203 226 236 
			 Staffordshire 205 194 210 244 
			 Suffolk 122 130 138 140 
			 Surrey 219 202 252 242 
			 Sussex 296 330 351 295 
			 Thames Valley 402 416 422 410 
			 Warwickshire 102 134 132 132 
			 West Mercia 138 205 179 175 
			 West Midlands 500 543 536 464 
			 West Yorkshire 334 316 389 375 
			 Wiltshire 121 124 125 106 
			 Dyfed-Powys 113 113 114 111 
			 Gwent 169 151 144 166 
			 North Wales 158 159 170 163 
			 South Wales 345 335 355 291 
		
	
	(1) Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit
	Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle
	Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test
	Failing to allow specimen of blood to be subjected to laboratory test
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfair through drink or drugs (impairment)-drink
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)-drugs
	Being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment)-drink
	Being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment)-drugs
	Source: Justice Statistics - Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice
	Ref: PQ(JSAS) HL624 HL625 (22/06/2010)
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system
	These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
	Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.
	Data only include those prosecuted and sentenced for drink driving and exclude those prosecuted and sentenced for causing death by driving under the Road Traffic Act 1988 added by Road Traffic Act 1991 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003
	Following the introduction of the LIBRA case management system defendants at magistrates' courts can be recorded as "sex not stated" and have therefore been excluded from these data
	
		
			 Number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody, by criminal justice area and sex for offences of drink driving(1), 2005-08 
			 Males 
			 Police force area 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Avon and Somerset 51 66 42 44 
			 Bedfordshire 51 26 17 10 
			 Cambridgeshire 27 26 23 39 
			 Cheshire 56 41 33 30 
			 City of London 2 1 4 0 
			 Cleveland 20 11 20 19 
			 Cumbria 21 11 22 23 
			 Derbyshire 62 59 56 41 
			 Devon and Cornwall 63 50 19 28 
			 Dorset 22 14 14 11 
			 Durham 26 14 23 11 
			 Essex 155 108 95 75 
			 Gloucestershire 11 15 10 8 
			 Greater Manchester 165 118 119 75 
			 Hampshire 100 68 71 59 
			 Hertfordshire 41 23 27 27 
			 Humberside 59 43 45 40 
			 Kent 74 72 48 41 
			 Lancashire 60 51 31 32 
			 Leicestershire 66 52 33 33 
			 Lincolnshire 17 24 26 27 
			 Merseyside 127 106 72 41 
			 Metropolitan Police 453 379 302 291 
			 Norfolk 23 23 34 18 
			 North Yorkshire 20 15 12 16 
			 Northamptonshire 25 45 55 35 
			 Northumbria 38 25 32 28 
			 Nottinghamshire 52 44 33 30 
			 South Yorkshire 54 42 56 59 
			 Staffordshire 43 34 32 27 
			 Suffolk 29 27 25 16 
			 Surrey 24 23 18 23 
			 Sussex 46 34 47 40 
			 Thames Valley 92 79 68 85 
			 Warwickshire 9 11 11 9 
			 West Mercia 52 45 32 31 
			 West Midlands 149 134 139 139 
			 West Yorkshire 76 65 58 62 
			 Wiltshire 15 8 6 6 
			 Dyfed-Powys 15 12 10 13 
			 Gwent 37 31 28 31 
			 North Wales 31 31 18 21 
			 South Wales 84 71 62 46 
			 Metropolitan Police 17 19 12 13 
			 Cumbria 4 1 0 0 
			 Lancashire 1 1 0 2 
			 Merseyside 2 0 4 1 
			 Greater Manchester 6 4 4 6 
			 Cheshire 3 4 4 1 
			 Northumbria 0 1 0 1 
			 Durham 1 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 1 0 1 1 
			 West Yorkshire 4 2 2 2 
			 South Yorkshire 2 3 0 2 
			 Humberside 4 1 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 1 0 0 
			 West Midlands 5 3 7 3 
			 Staffordshire 6 3 1 1 
			 West Mercia 2 0 0 1 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 2 2 4 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 1 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 1 0 0 2 
			 Leicestershire 1 2 0 1 
			 Northamptonshire 5 1 1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 1 3 1 
			 Norfolk 3 0 2 1 
			 Suffolk 0 1 1 1 
			 Bedfordshire 4 0 4 0 
			 Hertfordshire 1 1 1 1 
			 Essex 10 4 6 6 
			 Thames Valley 4 6 2 3 
			 Hampshire 5 3 5 4 
			 Surrey 0 1 0 0 
			 Kent 2 2 0 3 
			 Sussex 2 1 2 3 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 0 1 0 
			 Avon and Somerset 3 2 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 1 1 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 1 0 0 1 
			 North Wales 2 0 0 0 
			 Gwent 1 1 0 0 
			 South Wales 2 4 4 4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 1 0 1 
		
	
	(1) Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit
	Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit
	Being in charge of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle
	Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test
	Failing to allow specimen of blood to be subjected to laboratory test
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfair through drink or drugs (impairment)-drink
	Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment)-drugs
	Being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment)-drink
	Being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment)-drugs
	Source: Justice Statistics - Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice
	Ref: PQ(JSAS) HL624 HL625 (22/06/2010)
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system
	These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe
	Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.
	Data only include those prosecuted and sentenced for drink driving and exclude those prosecuted and sentenced for causing death by driving under the Road Traffic Act 1988 added by Road Traffic Act 1991 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003
	Following the introduction of the LIBRA case management system defendants at magistrates' courts can be recorded as "sex not stated" and have therefore been excluded from these data

Crime: Perjury

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many court witnesses were (a) charged with, and (b) convicted of, perjury in England and Wales in each of the past three years.

Lord McNally: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for perjury, England and Wales 2006 to 2008 (latest available), are shown in the table.
	Charging data are not collected centrally and prosecutions data are given in lieu.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication in October 2010.
	
		
			 Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for perjury, England and Wales 2006 to 2008(1)(2)(3) 
			  2006 2007 2008 
			 Proceeded against 109 122 83 
			 Found guilty 91 91 82 
		
	
	(1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	(3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.
	Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Crime: Women

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the organisations running projects funded under the Diverting Women from Custody programme will be informed by the Directors of Offender Management whether they will be re-funded at the end of their two-year funding period; and whether the timescale will take account of any effect on staff retention from late re-funding decisions.

Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice has provided over £10 million until March 2011 to established, voluntary sector providers to develop women's community projects that tackle the complex and underlying causes of their offending. The projects form a key part of our approach to reducing the number of women in prison who do not pose a risk to the public through providing effective community sentences that meet the different needs of women and reduce reoffending. Directors of Offender Management working with probation are taking the lead role in sustaining successful activity through joint local commissioning and partnership arrangements. It should be noted that the projects are not simply reliant on DOM's funding and many now draw upon a range of statutory and charitable sources.

Department for International Development: Budget

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Department for International Development's budget is ring-fenced against cuts.

Lord Sassoon: The Government's coalition agreement makes it clear that deficit reduction, and securing the economic recovery, is the most urgent issue facing Britain. However, this Government believe that even in these difficult economic times, the UK has a moral responsibility to help the poorest people in the world. It is also very much in our national self-interest to ensure that our development budget does something about the difficult conflict-ridden and unstable areas in the developing world. The UK will therefore honour the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GNI on official development assistance (ODA).
	The Department for International Development will be expected to achieve significant efficiency savings and these will be recycled to ensure the best value in the UK's ODA spend. The Secretary of State for International Development recently announced that he would redirect £100 million from projects that are low priority or that are not performing, to programmes that have a better success rate in improving the lives of the world's poor.

Energy: Nuclear Power

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to secure private finance to manufacture key components for the United Kingdom's nuclear industry, following the withdrawal of their loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Lord Marland: It is of course a commercial decision for those in the private sector to decide whether or not to invest in the nuclear supply chain, including in the manufacture of key components, in order to take advantage of the opportunities provided by new nuclear power in the UK and around the world.
	The Government's role is to encourage private investment in the nuclear industry in the UK through removing unnecessary barriers to new nuclear and by implementing the four facilitative actions on planning, regulatory justification, generic design assessment and on waste and decommissioning finance.
	Energy companies have already announced plans to build 16GW of new nuclear in the UK which represents a significant opportunity for UK companies. And the size of the global nuclear market is significant and growing.
	This is why we remain committed to the development of strong and competitive UK supply chain and are supporting industry through skills development, apprentice schemes, market information, the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Manufacturing Advisory Service, support to help export promotion, nuclear R&D and the National Nuclear Laboratory.

Energy: Nuclear Waste Disposal

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the geological suitability of west Cumbria for nuclear waste disposal, with reference to rock structure and long-term ground water movements.

Lord Marland: In 2008, communities were invited to express an interest in entering discussions with Government about a siting process for a geological disposal facility for higher activity radioactive waste.
	To date, three expressions of interest have been received (Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria County Council and Allerdale Borough Council) for the areas of Copeland and Allerdale. The authorities and local stakeholders are working together in partnership and recently requested the commencement of the British Geological Survey high-level, subsurface unsuitability test. This process will be desk-based, using existing data, and will not identify sites that could definitely host a facility but will screen out areas that can easily be identified now as unsuitable for geological reasons, using a small set of basic geological criteria that were subject to public consultation in 2007. At further stages of the process increasingly detailed assessments will be made of potential sites.
	The British Geological Survey's report is expected to be made available to the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Partnership in the autumn. Further information about the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership can be found at (www. westcumbriamrws.org.uk).

Energy: Nuclear Waste Disposal

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government which areas of the United Kingdom have been assessed for their suitability for nuclear waste disposal, with reference to rock structure and long-term ground water movement.

Lord Marland: Government are undertaking a stepwise process for implementing geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste based on the recommendations of the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management. This process is based on voluntarism and partnership with local communities with the first stage being local communities expressing an interest in entering discussions with Government about the siting process.
	Following an expression of interest the second stage in the process is the completion of a high-level, subsurface unsuitability test by the British Geological Survey to exclude those areas that can easily be identified now as unsuitable to host a facility for geological reasons. This unsuitability test is currently being undertaken for the Allerdale and Copeland Boroughs of West Cumbria using a small set of basic geological criteria that were subject to public consultation in 2007.
	In its input to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's original deliberations between 2003-06, the British Geological Survey set out that it was confident that geological conditions suitable for the disposal of radioactive waste could be found in a significant proportion of the UK.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request utility companies providing electricity to show on their invoices the cost of their support for wind and other renewable forms of energy, including the Climate Change Levy and the Renewables Obligation.

Lord Marland: The Government are committed to improving the transparency of energy bills and improving information to consumers to help them understand and control their energy costs.
	Currently, environmental and social programmes and subsidies, including but not limited to support for renewables, account for 8 per cent of the average domestic electricity bill and 3 per cent of the average domestic gas bill.
	There are currently no requirements for energy suppliers to put information on subsidies on energy bills. Ofgem has produced readily available factsheets explaining energy bills which give a breakdown of the costs that make up consumer bills. Some suppliers have chosen to include example cost breakdowns on bills to improve transparency and we would strongly encourage this.

Energy: Wind Generation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with representatives of local government about increasing the amount of onshore wind energy in the United Kingdom.

Lord Marland: Since 6 May there have been no discussions between local government representatives and Ministers from my department about increasing the amount of onshore wind energy in the United Kingdom. However DECC officials meet regularly with local government representatives to discuss issues concerning onshore wind deployment.

Financial Services Regulation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the views of the Court of the Bank of England were sought before the Chancellor of the Exchequer decided to transfer to the Bank responsibility for micro-prudential regulation.

Lord Sassoon: The Chancellor meets the Governor of the Bank of England regularly to discuss a range of policy and operational issues (including issues related to regulatory reform). Discussions between the Governor and Court of the Bank of England are a matter for the Bank of England.

Financial Services Regulation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Bank of England will levy a charge on the banking industry to cover the cost of micro-prudential regulation.

Lord Sassoon: Each authority under the reformed financial regulation architecture will have the power to levy the financial services industry in order to fund their activities, as is the case with the Financial Services Authority.

Fishing: Common Fisheries Policy

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Statement by Lord Henley on 22 June (WS 101) on reform of the common fisheries policy, whether they will propose that the responsibility for fisheries policy is returned to member states.

Lord Henley: We need to move on from the current centralised common fisheries policy (CFP) that attempts to micromanage fishermen's daily activities. In negotiations on the reform of the CFP, the UK will press for radical change that provides for serious devolution of decision-making, and simplification, to improve fisheries management. While it may be appropriate for genuinely strategic decisions to be taken at EU level, because many fish stocks are shared between various member states, more responsibility for implementation can, and should, be devolved to member states.

Government Departments: Expenditure Cuts

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many job losses they estimate will result from the public sector cuts announced on 24 May; and whether they plan to avoid redundancies through redeployment.

Lord Sassoon: It will be for departments to determine the exact workforce implications, including redeployments, in line with their overall budget reductions.
	By acting now, we have reduced the risk of adverse market conditions, which would mean higher interest rates for all, stifle recovery and make the challenges ahead even harder.
	The Government are committed to protecting jobs and supporting job creation; the policies upon which the coalition has agreed will support workers and firms through the economic recovery.

House of Lords: Members

Lord Selsdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the House of Lords hold a remunerated part-time or full-time appointment in government departments or bodies.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: This information is not held centrally. Information on board membership and remuneration is published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts. In addition, Peers must comply with the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords which includes the registration of any remunerated employment.

Immigration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the occupations on the latest list of shortage occupations for immigration purposes; and how many visas were issued to non-European Union nationals in the past 12 months to people from such occupations.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The current shortage occupation list is available on the UK Border Agency website at: http://www.ukba. homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/shortageoccupationlist.pdf.
	The list is part of tier two (general) of the points-based system. An employer wishing to sponsor a migrant under tier two must assign a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) which the migrant must use to make an application for a visa.
	It is not possible to distinguish between the numbers of visas issued to those coming to undertake shortage occupations from those issued to fill other jobs. Additionally not everyone issued with a visa uses it to travel to the UK and not everyone issued with a CoS is eligible for a visa.
	Between June 2009 and May 2010 3,611 CoS were issued by employers for shortage occupations where decisions were subsequently made on an application for a visa. The maximum number of visas issued will therefore be 3,611 or a number less than this.

Immigration: Reintegration

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to broaden the scope of the UK Border Agency's reintegration centre scheme to countries other than Afghanistan.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Reintegration assistance is provided in many countries through the UK Border Agency's assisted voluntary return scheme. Assistance has for some time been provided for adult enforced returnees in Afghanistan. We are looking to expand the assistance provided there to make it suitable for a limited number of males aged 16 or 17.
	We keep under constant review the range of assistance available for returnees to a variety of countries. We do not rule out extending similar reintegration arrangements elsewhere. In respect of young people under 18, our preference is always to return them direct to their parents where this is possible. Only when that is not possible do we need to look to provide interim assistance on return while onward passage to parents or family is arranged.

Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, when the Financial Services Authority registered the formation of Independent Networks Cooperative Association Ltd on 25 November 2009, it took account of the annual returns and accounts of Community Broadband Network Ltd not being registered with it for 31 December 2005 to 31 December 2008 until 8 December 2009.

Baroness Wilcox: I have nothing further to add to previous Answers on this subject, provided at Hansard 9 June (col. WA 46-47), 10 June (col. WA 55), 15 June (col. WA 104), 15 June (col. WA 104), 15 June (col. WA 103-04), 15 June (col. WA 105), 15 June (col. WA 105), 15 June (col. WA 104), 15 June (col. WA 103), 15 June (col. WA 103), and 16 June (col. WA 119).

Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what procurement process was used by Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) to ensure transparency in agreeing the contract to license the brand and stage the four NextGen Roadshow one-day events with Community Broadband Network Ltd; how many requests for quotations were made by INCA to other providers; how many other offers to stage roadshows were received; whether the process was overseen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; what funding was agreed by the Department; and whether they will place all relevant documents in the Library of the House.

Baroness Wilcox: The procurement process undertaken by the Independent Networks Co-operative Association was not overseen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	I have nothing further to add to previous Answers on this subject, provided at Hansard 9 June (col. WA 46-47), 10 June (col. WA 55), 15 June (col. WA 104), 15 June (col. WA 104), 15 June (col. WA 103-04), 15 June (col. WA 105), 15 June (col. WA 105), 15 June (col. WA 104), 15 June (col. WA 103), 15 June (col. WA 103), and 16 June (col. WA 119), 24 Jun (col. WA 207).

Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Financial Services Authority registered the formation of Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd (INCA Ltd) when the application form did not state in paragraph six the name of the company, the rule numbers did not comply with the paragraphs in the rules submitted, and they did not indicate in paragraph nine the correct rule numbers for objects, application of profits, and dissolution of the company; and whether any alterations or additions to the registered rules were requested by the Permanent Secretary of or the Director, Communications, Content Industries Directorate at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; if so, when the alterations or additions were made; and why.

Baroness Wilcox: I have nothing further to add to previous Answers on this subject, provided at Hansard 9 June (col. WA46-47), 10 June (col. WA55), 15 June col. (WA104), 15 June (col. WA104), 15 June (col. WA103-04), 15 June (col. WA105), 15 June (col. WA105), 15 June (col. WA104), 15 June (col. WA103), 15 June (col. WA103), and16 June (col. WA119).

Internet: Broadband

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place for an independent professional evaluation of the grants of £300,000 in 2008 and £900,000 in 2009 to Alston Healthcare under control of Cybermoor Ltd and Curlew Consulting Ltd for the delivery of high speed broadband; who will undertake any such evaluation; and how many customers are in each speed group .

Earl Howe: The grants provided by the department were for the development of the social enterprise, Alston Healthcare, in order that it can deliver innovative telehealthcare services to communities in rural Cumbria. The expenditure of these grants has been monitored to ensure that they were spent for the purpose they were given. There has also been an independent evaluation of the Department of Health Pathfinders, by Tribal Newchurch, which was published on September 2009 and is available at: www.tribalgroup.com/ServicesAndSectors/Pages/health.aspx.

Internet: Broadband

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the National Audit Office to investigate procurement of contracts and services for the Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) and the management of broadband delivery by Dave Carter, the Chairman of Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd (INCA Ltd), who is Chairman of the INCA Ltd Scrutiny and Liaison Panel and Head of the MDDA; what grants have been paid in each of the last six years from government departments and agencies to the MDDA; and what payments have been made to Community Broadband Network Ltd by the MDDA since 2004.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the National Audit Office to investigate the procurement of contracts entered into by Accelerate Nottingham and the management of broadband services by the Director of Accelerate Nottingham; what grants or other payments have been paid in each of the last six years to Accelerate Nottingham by Government departments or bodies; and what payments have been made to (a) Community Broadband Network Ltd since 2004, and (b) Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd since its formation, by Accelerate Nottingham; and under what terms.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government do not intend to ask the National Audit Office to investigate in either case.
	Accelerate Nottingham was part of the DC-10 network granted £2 million by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2007. It received funding from the East Midlands Development Agency of in the period 2004-2010 as follows:
	2004-£25,000;
	2005-nil;
	2006-£25,000;
	2007-£48,500;
	2008-£95,975;
	2009-£58,798; and
	2010-£59,934;
	MDDA has not received any funding from central government departments or agencies.
	The Government have no information as to payments by either body to the Community Broadband Network.

IRA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were killed and injured by Semtex explosives provided by the Government of Libya to the IRA.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not have details about the number of people killed and injured by Semtex explosives provided by the Government of Libya to the IRA.

IRA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will hold a public inquiry to establish the identities of those who ordered, organised and financed the IRA attack on shopping areas of Belfast in July 1972.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have no plans to hold a public inquiry to establish the identities of those who ordered, organised and financed the IRA attack on shopping areas of Belfast in July 1972.

IRA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will hold a public inquiry to establish the identities of those who ordered and financed the IRA killing of two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in Londonderry shortly before Bloody Sunday.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have no plans to hold a public inquiry to establish the identities of those who ordered and financed the IRA killing of two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in Londonderry shortly before Bloody Sunday. I understand that the Historical Enquires Team has completed an investigation into these cases.

Kyrgyzstan

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the government of Kazakhstan in the latter's capacity as the 2010 chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe about the current unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our ambassador to Astana met the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman in Office's Special Envoy for Kyrgyzstan, Zhanybek Karibzhanov, as well as the UN Special Envoy Miroslav Jenca and EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Pierre Morel, in Bishkek. He was encouraged by the positive co-operation between the three envoys, who worked together to produce a joint action plan setting out a framework for among other things helping to strengthen security. They also prepared a declaration calling for a humanitarian air corridor in the south and for a just distribution of aid. In addition, while in Bishkek, the ambassador attended daily briefings on the situation at the OSCE office in Bishkek. The UK delegation to the OSCE is actively working with the Kazakh chairmanship in Vienna to enhance the current OSCE activities to address the situation in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Legal Aid

Lord Bach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the minimum proportion of the total legal aid budget they expect to spend in the field of social welfare law.

Lord McNally: On 23 June my department announced a fundamental look at the legal aid system. In light of this, it is currently not possible to provide a figure for the expected expenditure in social welfare law.
	The most up-to-date figures available, for the financial year 2008-09, show that legal aid expenditure in social welfare law cases was £123 million in cash terms, which accounted for 6 per cent of the total cash expenditure for that year.

Legal Aid

Lord Bach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the minimum proportion of the total legal aid budget they expect to spend on not-for-profit providers of legal services.

Lord McNally: On 23 June my department announced a fundamental look at the legal aid system. In light of this, it is currently not possible to provide a figure for the expected expenditure on not-for-profit providers of legal services.
	The most up-to-date figures available, for the financial year 2008-09, show that legal aid expenditure for not-for-profit providers in cash terms was £79 million, which accounted for 4 per cent of the total legal aid cash expenditure for that year.

Legal Services Commission

Lord Bach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation in this session to turn the Legal Services Commission into an executive agency.

Lord McNally: The Government agree with the previous Administration's commitment to replace the Legal Services Commission with an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice believing that this will strengthen accountability for and control of the legal aid fund. We are considering how to take this forward in the context of the Government's wider programme of reform of public bodies.

Maxim Bakiyev

Lord Haworth: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds Mr Maxim Bakiyev was arrested by immigration officials at Farnborough airport on 13 June.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Mr Bakiyev was not arrested by immigration officials at Farnborough airport on 13 June.

Maxim Bakiyev

Lord Haworth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Mr Maxim Bakiyev remains in detention; and, if so, under what conditions.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Mr Bakiyev is not in detention.

Maxim Bakiyev

Lord Haworth: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds the acting Government of Kyrgyzstan has requested the extradition of Mr Maxim Bakiyev.

Baroness Neville-Jones: As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, the United Kingdom will neither confirm nor deny the existence of an extradition request made or received before an arrest has been made pursuant to the request.

Ministry of Defence: Female Staff

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Ministry of Defence has experienced any problems relating to policy and action as a result of having no female Ministers.

Lord Astor of Hever: None.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to require senior staff in the Northern Ireland Office to take a cut in salary in view of the cut accepted by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not intend to require senior staff to take a pay cut at present. However, as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22 June, all civil servants earning over £21,000 will be subject to a two-year pay freeze.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions in each of the last four years the Serious Fraud Office, HM Revenue and Customs or the City of London Police have visited the Olympic construction site at Stratford; and how many people have been arrested or charged with offences in connection with the Olympic construction activities.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ensure effective security at the Olympic Park site, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) works in partnership with a dedicated Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) team which enables the secure identification and escorting of visitors on the Olympic Park. However, although this approach is secure, the ODA does not retain records of the organisations that have visited the Olympic park.
	Specifically, since 2007, the ODA and the MPS economic and specialist crime command have been working in partnership to prevent fraudulent activity in relation to construction activities on the Olympic site. During this period 16 people were arrested for being in possession of false identities in an attempt to gain employment. In addition, six people have been arrested in relation to other fraudulent activities.

Pensions

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the cost, compared to current projected expenditure on public sector pensions, if future accruals were to remain (a) defined benefit up to £30,000 per annum income, (b) defined benefit up to £35,000 per annum income, (c) defined benefit up to the higher rate tax threshold, and thereafter were to be defined contribution on all subsequent earnings, with an employers' contribution of (1) 10 per cent, and (2) 15 per cent, for the years 2010, 2015, 2020, 2030 and 2050.

Lord Sassoon: The Government do not hold the information requested, which could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Government have announced that John Hutton will chair an independent public service pensions commission, to undertake a fundamental structural review of public service pension provision. The commission is likely to consider such issues as part of its work.

Police: Central Motorway Police Group

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the duties of the Central Motorway Police Group; and to whom they report.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Central Motorway Police Group comprises officers from Staffordshire Police, West Mercia Constabulary and West Midlands Police. The group patrols and enforces the law on motorways in the West Midlands region, disrupts criminality and helps ensure the safe, efficient and effective running of the strategic roads network to enhance road safety and further reduce the numbers of persons killed and seriously injured.
	The group reports at six-monthly intervals to an executive board comprising Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and police authority members from each constituent force.

Public Bodies

Lord Selsdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure by non-departmental public bodies in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2007-08, (c) 2006-07, (d) 2005-06, and (e) 2004-05.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the estimated expenditure by non-departmental public bodies in 2009-10.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the budget for expenditure by non-departmental public bodies for 2010-11.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Information on total expenditure by non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is published in the annual Cabinet Office Public Bodies report. Copies of Public Bodies for the period 2004-09 are available from the Libraries of the House. Copies can also be downloaded from www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb. Information on expenditure for the period 2009-10 is currently being collated and will be published by the Cabinet Office as soon as it is ready.
	Following the Government's commitment to greater transparency, HM Treasury has now made public the combined online information system (COINS). This is used by HM Treasury to collect financial data from across the public sector and includes some financial information on NDPBs for 2009-10. This information can be downloaded from www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_coins_data.htm. Information on estimated expenditure and future budgets for NDPBs for 2010-11 is not held centrally.

Railways: High Speed 1

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the sale documentation for High Speed 1 infrastructure is based on (a) full regulation as undertaken by the Office of Rail Regulation for the conventional United Kingdom rail network (if not, where it differs), (b) full compliance with European Union and United Kingdom regulations, including the Railways and Infrastructure (Access and Management) Regulations (SI 2005/3049), and (c) the new owner being subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of its management of High Speed 1.

Earl Attlee: The documentation related to the sale of HS1 Limited-the High Speed 1 concessionaire-is based on:
	(a) the regulation of High Speed 1 by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) so far as possible in the way in which the ORR regulates the national network. However, in its statement of 30 October 2009 on the regulation of High Speed 1, the ORR indicated that it would expect, where relevant, to have regard to the different characteristics and economics of High Speed 1 vis-à-vis the national network and the differences in HS1 Limited's business model from Network Rail's in its approach to the regulation of High Speed 1;(b) full compliance with European Union and United Kingdom regulations, including the Railways Infrastructure (Access and Management) Regulations (SI 2005/3049), and(c) the new owner of HS1 Limited not being subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of its management of High Speed 1 as the company ceases to be a public authority. However, the High Speed 1 concession agreement places certain obligation on HS1 Ltd to provide information to the Secretary of State and to the ORR. Such information might be available under the Freedom of Information Act in the usual way.

Railways: High Speed 1

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives or bonuses will be available to staff at High Speed 1 in the event of a successful sale.

Earl Attlee: In order to incentivise the High Speed 1 staff and management to deliver a successful sale of High Speed 1, the company remuneration committee approved a sale incentive bonus for all High Speed 1 staff of up to 10 per cent of salary and up to £50,000 for the managing director. Payment of these bonuses will be on a sliding scale linked to the sale value achieved for High Speed 1 compared with a central case value. It will range from -10 per cent of the central case value (zero sale bonus) to +10 per cent of the central case value (maximum 10 per cent bonus). The bonus is payable on completion of the High Speed 1 sale and no bonus is payable if there is no sale.

Retirement Age

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to use the power conferred by the Equality Act 2010 to abolish the default age of retirement of 65.

Lord Freud: The Government announced in their coalition agreement a commitment to phasing out the default retirement age. It is important that we do this in a way that helps individuals and employers to adapt to the new situation. As we set out in the Budget, we will shortly consult on how we will quickly phase out the default retirement age from April 2011.

Road Safety

Viscount Simon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the road safety area based grant revenue and capital allocations for each local highway authority in 2010-11 as at April 2010; how much was allocated to each local highway authority in the announcement of 10 June; and what were the percentage reductions for each authority.

Earl Attlee: The road safety funding allocations for each local authority in 2010-11, as at April 2010, can be found on the Department for Transport's website at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/localauthorities/funding/fundingstreams/capitalandrevenue/roadsafety/.
	The Government have made it clear that their most urgent priority is to tackle the UK's record deficit. To help achieve this, on 10 June the Department for Communities and Local Government announced £1.166 billion of savings from grants to local authorities, including reductions to road safety capital grant and revenue funding. These are detailed on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localgovernmentfinance/.
	The percentage reductions for each local authority in 2010-11 are approximately -26.6 per cent for the road safety area based revenue funding, and -100 per cent for the road safety capital grant.
	The fact that certain grants have been chosen for reduction over others does not indicate the relative importance Government attach to different areas. The specific grants selected are simply a mechanism to deliver the cash reduction in funding in a way which is equitable as possible between authorities and to protect revenue budgets as far as possible. Local authorities are free to make efficiencies elsewhere in their budgets in order to deliver road safety outcomes as previously planned, and I would expect this to be a priority for them.